


Sorry, who are you?

by BlueBioluminescence



Series: Earth-65 Matt/Foggy Stories [2]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Spider-Gwen (Comics)
Genre: Earth-65, Human Disaster Matt Murdock, Implied Planned Suicide, M/M, POV Foggy Nelson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBioluminescence/pseuds/BlueBioluminescence
Summary: Sometimes Matt just needs to pretend to be a normal human, just for a little bit.Aka: In which ‘Mike’ Murdock exists in the Earth-65 universe and he isn’t exactly what you would expect.This is a stand-alone and does not actually go with my other Earth-65 fic.
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Mike Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Series: Earth-65 Matt/Foggy Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828735
Comments: 12
Kudos: 86





	Sorry, who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> Some quick notes: yes. Mike Murdock is actually just Matt in disguise and not an actual person, because Matt is a disaster man in every universe and a secret identity is the only way he knows to actually get comfort. 
> 
> This is set right before Matt attempts suicide in the Spider-Gwen comics so...ya. That’s the time of the fic. Spilers for Spider-Gwen but he doesn't actually go through with it.

It’s chaos when Mike shows up at the DA’s office that evening, close to closing when everyone is bustling to get out on time. Foggy can just hear the commotion from his office as Karen asks, loudly, if this is some kind of joke. He wonders briefly what the joke is but ignores it again quickly enough. Karen has a long list of people that she doesn’t like, a lot of them that they all have to deal with on the regular, and so Foggy just assumes that her anger is driven by someone from the police department dropping by with more work for them when it’s minutes away from closing.

Soon enough there are stomping feet approaching his office and Foggy resigns himself to overtime work as he raises his head to look at his seething secretary. 

“The Devil is here,” She says which isn’t exactly what he expected, but Matt does drop by often enough to have warranted this reaction from her. Still, they don’t have a case against Murdock coming up any time soon and Foggy hadn’t called him to drop by so the visit is pretty unexpected. Still, Karen pushes on with her rant as Foggy sits back in his chair, worried. An unexpected visit from Matt is never good news. 

“For some reason though he’s decided to put on a _normal human_ costume and is insisting his name is _Mike_ now-“ and Foggy’s brain misses the rest of what she is saying because, oh. Oh! It’s _Mike!_

It's been _years_ since he has seen Mike and whatever she is going on about doesn't seem half as important as scrambling up from his desk and booking it out of his office to go see his old friend.

Mike’s smile is radiant as Foggy enters the front waiting area and quickly crushes him in a hard hug. “Mike!” Foggy laughs exuberantly, ignoring what he knows must be very strange looks that his staff and shooting him, “What are you doing here? Man it’s been so long!”

“Wait.” Karen asks from behind him and Foggy tries to pull back but Mike only clings to Foggy tighter, pressing his face with near desperation into Foggy’s shoulder and so Foggy just keeps holding him because it doesn’t seem worth it to let him go just yet. “Wait. You’re telling me that _Mike Murdock_ is real?!”

——

Mike Murdock, for all he looks identical to Matt, is the exact opposite of his brother in nearly every way. Where Matt is loud and brash and sharp angles, Mike is soft and sweet and tactile, loving to be touched and to touch in return. Sure he still holds an air of importance around him, after all he is a successful business man and that job does come with a certain level of decorum, but it’s less suffocating. Matt wears his like it's a threat, Mike wears it like a promise. An ‘I’m important, I can help,’ rather then ‘I’m important and I can murder you without anyone trying to stop me.’ 

Not that Foggy thought Matt would really go around murdering people...but, well, he gave the air that he definitely, _definitely_ could.

Where Matt wore bright colors and swishing silks that made the man look like a razor's edge, Mike Murdock wore soft, simple clothes that made him look comfortable and cuddly. Simple warm and slightly too large sweaters over soft looking grey slacks with worn down black shoes that had obviously been picked for comfort rather than fashion. He bundled himself up like he wanted nothing more than to curl up on a couch and watch TV until he passed out. It always made Foggy want to give him just that.

There were other small differences too that Foggy noticed about the two brothers over time. Like Mike’s love for fuzzy socks that he would wear when he curled up someplace warm while Matt had always preferred to go barefoot. Like the way Mike seemed to hesitate when he walked, preferring to hold gently to Foggy’s arm whenever he could while his brother, even blind, had been confident and sure in his every step. The way Mike shoulders always seemed just a little hunched over, as if he wanted to curl in on himself but was just holding back from doing so, while Matt always held himself with perfect grace and brilliance. Foggy _likes_ Matt, of course he does, but Mike...Mike, Foggy wants to _protect._

————

“Are you in town for long?” He asks softly once he has managed to pry Mike off of him, a difficult task most days, but especially today with the way Mike’s face drops, hurt, when he does it. Still, he had needed to get them to his office because people were leaving for the day and they were _staring._

Mike’s smile is soft and warm but a little apologetic when they finally make it to Foggy’s office and he manages to close the door behind them. Mike’s hand is still wrapped around his wrist though, as if terrified to let go, but besides making it slightly awkward to lock his door Foggy is actually happy for the contact. Not many people touch him nowadays and he might be just as touch starved as Mike so obviously is.

“Only a few days.” Mike replies as he crowds close to Foggy, his head falling into Foggy’s shoulder once more as his free hand moves around Foggy’s back in another hug. “Then I’m off to Croatia.”

“You have a place to stay?” Foggy asks, as if he doesn’t already know the answer, his own arms wrapping just as easily back around Mike. It's been over two years since he has seen him. He can allow this small indulgence at work.

“No. Not yet. But I was hoping-“

“Of course you can stay with me Mike.” Foggy cuts in. His own head pressed against Mike’s shoulder “You know you are always welcome at my apartment, no matter what.”

——

Foggy had met Mike Murdock his second year rooming with Matt. At first when he answered their dorm room door he thought it _was_ Matt given how similar they looked but the guy had smiled softly and a little nervously and asked if Matt was there.

Foggy had floundered a bit but had eventually managed to tell the guy, no, Matt wasn’t around, he had gone _somewhere_ for the upcoming Thanksgiving break that Foggy hadn’t been privy to but that he knew Matt wouldn’t be back until next Tuesday and ‘sorry, who are you?’

Mike had laughed after Foggy’s rambling explanation for Matt’s absence and it was a soft breathy thing as he had replied; “Mike Murdock, Matt’s brother.” and oh, his smile had been so soft and hesitant that it had nearly broken Foggy’s heart “It’s probably my fault he’s run off. I knew I shouldn’t have called ahead and let him know I would be in town.” 

It turned out then that Mike was Matt’s twin brother. Not exactly estranged but definitely not close. Where Matt had spent a good portion of his teens growing up in Japan, Mike had spent them here, in Hell’s Kitchen, being raised by nuns. “I’m up at Harvard now. Business degree.” He had smiled proudly at that and Foggy had felt his heart skip. It was nothing like Matt’s smiles - full of self importance and cocky attitude - this one was softer, more genuine. He was _proud_ of what he had accomplished but he wasn’t trying to rub it in anyone's face in it.

“Either way. Sorry to give you the life story.” Mike had laughed gently, under his breath, his head slightly down, “though I’m not sure what I’m going to do now, since Matty has apparently decided to flee town to avoid me.”

I had been an opening and Foggy, well, maybe he was still a bit of a bleeding heart - his fellow law students not having corrupted him just yet - had offered to let Mike stay, you know, as revenge for Matt standing him up, and proceeded to not only spend the night ‘vegging’ with Mike and watching terrible TV shows but also proceeding to invite Mike the next day to his family’s thanksgiving day feast.

Honestly: if he had thought spending time with Matt had been easy - because as much as his and Matt’s personalities seemed to clash they _did_ shockingly get along in an odd, ‘in this together’ way - spending time with Mike was like floating on cloud nine. 

———

Foggy leaves the office early. Or, more accurately: on time. Any other day he probably would have put in a few hours of overtime but it’s Friday and Mike is waiting for him very patiently in the chair across from him and it’s promising to be a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

He gets them Thai food to go, a couple cartons of ice cream, some beer that Mike picks out at the store, and they head to his place. 

“I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you.” Mike says as he sighs happily, slumped against the far end of Foggy’s couch, his legs curled up lazily against his chest. He’s still got his glasses on. He’s not blind like Matt, but he was in the same accident that took their mother’s life and Matt’s eyesight, his own had been compromised for it too. ‘Sever light sensitivity’ he had explained when Foggy had asked about the thick black shades that Mike refused to take off. ‘I didn’t get the full blast like my brother, but I definitely can’t see without these babies to filter through.’

And so Foggy had known to turn off all his lights, to make everything as soft and faded as he could for Mike when they got to his apartment. He could do nothing about the glare of the TV when Mike had asked to watch Legally Blond for the up-tenth time, but Mike never really seemed to mind warning his glasses anyway, so Foggy had put it on and sat back to let both of them get lost in the familiar dialogue. Legally Blond might not be his favorite movie in existence but it was worth the numerous re-watches to see Mike slowly but surely relax as the night went on. 

———

“You know I love you right?” Mike had told him. It was their tenth or twelth meeting. Foggy had started to lose count somewhere around the summer months when Mike had spent nearly two whole weeks with Foggy at his parents. Mike no longer came around to try and catch Matt, now he came around for Foggy and Foggy alone. It made him feel oddly important.

“I don’t think you’ve mentioned it before no.” Foggy had replied, a little hesitant but mostly flattered. It wasn’t said like a romantic thing, it wasn’t said like much of anything really. It was a statement of fact. “But I love you too buddy.” 

Mike had lit up like a damn Christmas tree at that, bright and exuberant and one spark away from catching fire. It was a deviating but good look on him, like Mike didn’t get a chance to smile that wide very often, like it hurt him to do so, and Foggy found he wanted to see Mike that happy all the time.

———

When Foggy knows they are both on the verge of falling asleep on the couch he turns off the TV and moves to try and help Mike up. Mike clings to him once more, trying to pull Foggy down back onto the couch with him instead and Foggy can’t help but laugh fondly. 

“Come on buddy, I’ve got a perfectly good bed we can cuddle on just in the other room.” He insists and is unsurprised when Mike leans up and kisses him. It’s hardly the first time and Foggy easily presses back into the kiss before breaking it off with a soft laugh. “Bed Mikey. We can kiss as much as you like once we are in _bed.”_

Mike’s smile is radiant even in the darkness of Foggy’s apartment as he finally lets himself be dragged to the bedroom.

———

The first kiss they ever shared was soft and chaste. A comfort thing more than a romance or sex thing. Mike liked to cuddle, liked to press himself close to Foggy’s side and breathe him in. Foggy had teased him about it once, jokingly called him a creep, but the reaction he had gotten from those words hadn’t been what he expected. Mike had pulled back, looking ashamed, and so Foggy hadn’t done it again and when Mike had come around next, but refused to cuddle up to Foggy, Foggy had been forced to take the initiative and cuddle up to _him_ instead.

The kiss had come later, when Mike was sleep-drunk more than drunk-drunk and clinging so hard to Foggy that there was no way to get him off and so Foggy had given in and let them both just collapse back onto his bed instead, Mike letting out a happy hum as he buried himself closer to Foggy’s chest. In the morning, in the lazy light of day, Foggy had woken to Mike pressing soft kisses against his neck, cheek, and finally lips. Soft and careful as he mumbled gentle ‘thank you’’s against Foggy’s skin. Foggy didn’t know what he was being thanked for, but he didn’t complain as he let Mike do as he wanted and very gently returned every kiss.

———

He kisses Foggy now, and it’s a burning desperate thing like it’s never been before. Foggy hadn’t wanted to see it, but there was something _wrong_ with Mike this time around. The kiss makes Foggy feel like he is Mike’s last meal, like he is Mike’s penance, like every gentle touch is an ‘im sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry’ pressed into Foggy’s skin just as their first time had been filled with ‘thank you. thank you. thank you’s’

He doesn’t know what Mike is sorry about, but if Foggy is to be Mike’s contrition then he will happily play his part.

———

Mike is still there the next morning and there is a breakfast of eggs and pancakes and coffee and all the things that Foggy knows Mike loves and they take their plates to the couch, curling up on it and pressing side to side as they eat and drink in silence. Foggy knows he should ask about last night. Ask his friend, the man he knows he loves, what is going on, what is wrong, but he can’t bring himself to break this. Mike comes to him for comfort, Mike comes to him for lights turned low and soft blankets and cuddles on the couch. Whatever is wrong with him now, he’ll tell Foggy when he is good and ready. 

———

“If I couldn’t come back. If-If I got a permanent job somewhere else would-“ Mike swallows the next day, nervous and twitching. Foggy can’t see through his dark glasses but he can bet that, if he could, he would see Mike’s eyes darting around anywhere but at him. He is freshly back from Sunday Mass and hasn't had a chance yet to change out of his more formal grey suit, but he has managed to quickly pull on an oversized sweater, not his own but Foggy’s which he has wrapped around himself like a life-line. “Would you miss me?”

“You know I would Mike.” Foggy says carefully from where he is leaned against the kitchen counter, he has coffee ready and some food, knowing that Mike wouldn’t have eaten before Mass. “I already miss you, every day you're gone. I love you.”

And Mike starts crying then, hard and heavy and broken and Foggy is over to him in a second, pulling him against his chest and holding him tight. He curls his arms around those shaking shoulders and squeezes, tight as he can, until the shaking stops and Mike falls into some kind of trance, sniffling against Foggy’s shoulder.

The breakfast is cold by the time they untangle from each other but Mike eats it anyway and Foggy tries not to worry too much about what he will do if he never sees Mike again.

———

Mike’s not there on Monday morning when Foggy wakes up and Foggy wonders if it’s because he couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye, not when it’s a final one. Still there is fresh coffee in the kitchen next to danishes from the bakery that Foggy loves and a note, scribbled lopsided on a paper in Mike’s atrocious handwriting that says “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Foggy picks up a danish and takes a deep breath before taking a bite. It’s delicious and Foggy doesn’t let himself think about anything else for a very long time. 


End file.
